The Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria MWUN, umbrella body for port workers may have shunned the two-day solidarity street protest declared by its parent body, the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC in solidarity with striking members of the University-based unions led by the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU.

The MWUN is probably the only affiliate of the NLC that has opted out of the nationwide protest, as its leadership has remained quiet and seemingly undecided in joining the protest, which other sister unions such as the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees NUBIFIE, the National Union of Electricity Employees and Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals and Air Transport Employees NUATE, among several others, have clearly declared support for.

Recall that the NLC had announced that it would embark on a two-day nationwide protest between July 26 and 27 (today and tomorrow) to press home the need Federal Government to resolve the over five-month old strike especially by ASUU since February 14, 2022 to demand the implementation of an agreement reached with the government since October 2009.

A maritime stakeholder, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the decision of the leadership of the union under the supervision of Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, the President-General not to show sympathy to the millions of Nigerian youths, who have been at home for over five months due to the university workers strike smirks of insensitivity.

According to him, NLC and most Nigerians rightly believe that the Federal Government has not shown sufficient political will to end the over five -month strike, adding that the protest is also designed to draw government’s attention to the general poor state of the nation occasioned by worsening insecurity, dwindling economic fortunes as manifested in increasing prices of petroleum products and high inflation etc, which also affect the maritime workers.

“In life one good turn deserves another and no man is an island unto himself. Only recently, members of the MWUN embarked on an indefinite strike to protest the poor welfare of the workers at the APM Terminals Apapa Limited and most port industry stakeholders showed solidarity to the union, which led to quick resolution of the issues.

“In fact, it took the intervention of some government agencies, especially the Nigerian Shippers Council NSC and the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA, among several others for the management of APM Terminals to agree to sit on a negotiation table with the leadership of the Maritime Workers Union to discuss and resolved all the issues that would enhance the welfare and quality of life of the port workers”, he said.

Meanwhile efforts to reach the President General of the union to comment on the issue proved abortive as he could neither take the calls put across to his Airtel Mobile line nor replied to the SMS sent to him more than 24hours before the filing of this report.

President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba had been speaking on the protest, especially in response to insinuations by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed that the protest is illegal, insisting that the union had already informed the police about the peaceful protest.

He noted that the Police Act mandates the Police authorities to provide cover for lawful assemblies, clarifying that work places would not be shut down during the protest.

Wabba also disclosed that labour would embark on a three-day warning strike immediately after the protest and might go on an indefinite strike if the government failed to resolve the issues that caused the ASUU strike.

The NLC-boss also described the fall of naira as very frightening, saying “it erodes the purchasing power of workers and so the leadership of the union would not just sit helplessly and watch”.